Battle of Takur Ghar

The Battle of Takur Ghar was fought from 4 to 5 March 2002 during Operation Anaconda, the offensive launched against al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the Shahikot Valley of eastern Afghanistan. In a two-day battle, 7 US Navy SEALs were stranded on the Takur Ghar mountain, where they withstood al-Qaeda attacks until they were reinforced by a 20-man rescue mission from the US Army Rangers. The Americans won the battle, but seven US servicemen were killed, 12 were wounded, and two Chinook helicopters were lost.

On the evening of 4 March 2002, a squad of four Tier 1 SEAL Team Six operatives, callsign Neptune, withdrew to an extraction point after being nearly overwhelmed by well-equipped and well-trained Chechen al-Qaeda fighters and their Taliban allies. However, their Chinook helicopter came under heavy fire, and it was forced to take off with only two of the squad members. The two helicopter-bound squad members defied orders to return to base and decided to re-insert, and they were violently thrown from their helicopter when it came under heavy fire. They were forced to stealthily make their way past al-Qaeda patrols, periodically engaging in firefights while searching for their lost teammates. They were successful in fighting with their backs to the wall on many occasions, ambushing the Chechen fighters several times. However, they were later tricked into entering a house full of dead Chechen fighters, and the house was sprayed with bullets before being hit with RPG fire. One of the men, Neil C. Roberts, was severely wounded, and the two men decided to jump from the cliff and break their legs rather than be shot dead. The two crippled SEALs were then captured by the Chechens, and the US command at Bagram grew concerned about the two missing SEALs. Against the orders of higher command, the commander at Bagram authorized a rescue mission to Takur Ghar, sending in a Chinook full of US Army Rangers to relieve the SEALs.

The Rangers' Chinook was sprayed with heavy enemy fire from DShK machine-gun positions, and three Rangers and a crew member were killed, while four more were injured. The Chinook then made a crash landing, and the Rangers used its minigun to hold off al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters as they attempted to charge the helicopter. The Rangers secured the crash site for the wounded and medics, and a squad of four Rangers headed for the Takur Ghar mountain pass, using laser-guided "smart bombs" to destroy Taliban firing positions along the way. One of the Rangers was wounded, and another was told to bring him back to the crash zone; the two remaining Rangers fought their way through terrorist cave complexes before meeting up with the two SEALs who had evaded capture. The four-man squad decided to search for the missing SEALs, and they assaulted two Chechen strongholds with the help of a UAV Predator drone. After destroying the second cliffside stronghold, they located the two captive SEALs, and they found that Neil C. Roberts had been dying of his wounds. As the nearest helicopters were in Kandahar, they were unable to extract in time to save Roberts from his wounds. Ultimately, the helicopters were able to extract the seven survivors and the remainder of the Ranger Quick Reaction Force (QRF). At least 200 al-Qaeda fighters were killed in the battle.